5 Ways to Earn Extra Cash Now

Looking to make a little bit of extra pocket cash? Check out these 5 ways to make a some supplemental money.

#1 Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are used when new treatments or products are almost ready to hit the market. These products can be anything from anti-aging creams to deodorant, to birth control and antibiotics.

They have gone through laboratory testing and are ready to be tested on humans before being available for purchase. Sometimes the trials are conducted by the manufacturer, and other times they are conducted by a third party research company.

Some of these trials may require overnight stays, especially if they are trials for new medications. They would require frequent blood draws and medical examinations to ensure your health. The trials that require overnight stays often pay $1000 or more for the duration of the trial.

#2 Mystery Shopping

Mystery shoppers are employed by companies around the world to get genuine feedback about their stores, restaurants, employees, and overall customer experience. Even with the rise of Yelp and other review sites, the need for mystery shoppers have not declined. Mystery shoppers are an unbiased, anonymous customer intended to evaluate a store or restaurant’s overall experience.

Mystery shopping positions can be both work from home or in-person. Some positions simply require the shopper to telephone a business or take a look at their website. The shopper would evaluate the ordering process and the customer service they receive. Other positions would include shopping in-person at stores or dining in restaurants and writing a detailed narrative.

Mystery shopping cannot replace a full-time job, as they don’t pay a full salary, but they do reimburse you for money spent in the store or at the restaurant, making this one of the most enjoyable part-time positions.

#3 Focus Groups

Focus groups revolve around a multitude of topics from music to products you use to current politics. You can be paid $100 an hour or more to sit and listen and give your opinion. Similar to mystery shopping, oftentimes the focus groups are design to get feedback on products or services you have used in the past.

Typically these focus group sessions happen in a research facility, with a researcher recording the opinions the group is giving. The sessions are recorded and given to the client company for their market research.

Now, many research focus groups can happen online in the form of surveys and polls. The pay is less, but they are much more convenient to complete.

#4 Driving

If you like driving, have a well-kept car with a backseat, and a clean driving record, you can become an Uber, Lyft, or Postmates driver! This is the wave of the future, with rideshare apps overtaking taxis as the most popular form of transportation. Customers can call their ride via their phone and the driver arrives to take them to their destination. Everything is taken care of via the phone app, including GPS and payment.

If driving people isn’t your thing, you could become a delivery driver for a company like PostMates! This program allows customers to order food from restaurants that don’t regularly deliver. The app or website will then give the order to the delivery driver to pick up and bring directly to the customer.

These apps boast that their drivers can make $25 per hour or more, and allow you to make your own schedule to decide when you drive.

#5 Transcription

If you would prefer to make your extra cash exclusively from the comfort of your own home, try transcription. With these positions, you are given an audio or video file and asked to transcribe the audio word for word. The files can be anything from focus group recordings to radio interviews and are usually returned to the client for their own market research.

Most transcription companies require you to take a transcription test to determine how effective you would be at the position, as well as how strong your grammar skills are. Many of these companies also request translation services, both from written transcriptions and from audio files.

Some companies provide the software to adequately transcribe the files, others require you to purchase a separate software. As time goes on, you will become more comfortable with your transcription work and may even develop your own shorthand. The companies typically pay per minute of audio, so the faster you transcribe the better!

There are many ways to make money online or in-person, putting a little bit of extra money in your pocket. These 5 are just a few of the most popular ways to earn money and supplement your regular income.